It’s a charity ride so don’t get hung up on kit etiquet or speed. In my experience of charity rides they are very much a friendly bimble by roadie standards and anyone trying to turn them into a race is the one looking a bit of a tit. Find a sustainable pace you can keep up for a large part of the day and stick to it. If the ride has been organised properly there should be plenty of opportunities to stop for food breaks and to enjoy the scenery.

Following on from Shibboleth’s comment about looks; read The Rules, grasping the fact they have been written to satirise as well as celebrate the traditions and lore that go with road riding. Funny because they are so close to the mark (I found I’d obeyed the various colour combination rules without having read them 😳 ).

Interesting to hear people praising the Mich Pro 4; I went from cheap OE Vittorias to aftermarket Pro 3s and noticed the difference, so good to hear these are better again. Once you’ve sorted your fit and comfort half decent tyres will be the biggest (certainly most cost effective) improvement you’ll make.

Oh, and I’ve gone from thinking of climbs as a necessary evil to actively seeking them out 😯

I’m odd, i’ve always preferred climbing to descending on my Boardman hybrid but i’ve just gone out on my new Colnago and found myself down in the drops going downhill! Something i was not looking forward to if i’m honest.
OK, i was definitely mincing but its the principle of the thing..

Hmm. 100 miles, you say?

Posted by Mike Dudley on Monday, August 5, 2013

dirtygirlonabike – Member
Wow, I iz in Lust…. *swoons*
What will happen when i tell you its also slammed and -17

I now have sore palms….

I’m odd, i’ve always preferred climbing to descending on my Boardman hybrid

I was comparing my MTB attitude to my road attitude. I didnt build my 35lb Alpine 160 for climbing! My first sportif was the Ronde Van Calderdale, 80 miles and about 3000m of mostly 20+% gradient cobbled climbing in Yorkshire.

You know its steep when theres a handrail for pedestrians 😯

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/sportives/article/sp20130409–Is-the-Ronde-Van-Calderdale-Britain-s-toughest-sportive–0

the most fun Ive had on 2 wheels this year.

Morning all

Re tyres – yep they’re cheap vittorias or some such and at 23mm will be swapped for something fatter and more comfortable for the coast to coast.

Re Stem – Evans were really good actually and spent the best part of an hour with me up on the bike on a turbo, tweaking things. I’m 6’2″ and the frame is a 61cm. We did discuss shortening the stem a tad but decided it was best for me to actually ride the bike first and see how I get on (rather than buying and fitting a stem unnecessarily).

I’m off on holiday for a week but when I retum I shall be investing in Lycra, road shoes, bottles, pumps an maybe a road helmet!

Thanks for all of the info everyone!

I had only briefly ridden a drop barred bike before last year.
The gears and maintaining cadence was the biggest shock to me ( compact!),that and how cold your nether regions get in winter! 😯
I’m now stronger ,in my core and legs.
Bib shorts are a revelation – very comfy. I use a saddle bag for tool/tube/patches/chain link & emergency co2. I put the pump/keys/phone snacks in my pocket.
( I lost a pump off the frame doing cx type stuff 😥 )
Build up your mileage gradually.
I now love riding another bike….although I went cx for the off road peace & quiet ,a dedicated road bike is on the cards……

I would recommend getting out on some runs with your local CTC group or cycling club. Try a few to find one you like. You will get the opportunity to chat to lots of cyclists and pick up useful advice.
There are no rules, it’s all cycling. What matters is riding your bike and enjoying it.